Parents upset over no crossing guards at busy intersection near Orlando school

Parents are expressing concerns at one Orange County Elementary School after a busy intersection has been left without a crosswalk during most school days.

ORLANDO, Fla. -

Parents are expressing concerns at one Orange County Elementary School after a busy intersection has been left without a crosswalk during most school days.

A Local 6 viewer sent cell phone video, students and a mother crossing a very busy intersection with no crossing guard to be found at Durrance Elementary School near the Beachline.

While Local 6 was at the Orlando school, there was a deputy, but parents say that many times there is not even a crossing guard making for a very dangerous situation for their kids.

"It's just a nightmare, it's just an accident waiting to happen," Suzi Spencer, mother of a second-grader at Durrance Elementary, said.

Spencer says some kids are risking their lives crossing Jetport Drive. It's never been a major problem, until Beachline construction started this summer causing detours all around the school.

"There's just parents who don't even know what their kids are facing getting in and out of school every day," said Spencer. "What we really need while all this construction is going on we really need someone to help get the kids across and direct traffic."

The school principal tells Local 6 he calls the sheriff's office every single day trying to get someone out to the intersection. There have been volunteers, even a teacher at one point, with the occasional deputy.

Parents are desperate for help because the traffic, they say, has no mercy on the kids.

"I don't want to see it coming to a child getting hurt or worst before something is done," said Spencer.

The Expressway Authority project is supposed to be done by the end of this year, the school principal tells Local 6 that he's going to continue trying to get a permanent solution.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office says it's aggressively trying to get a crossing guard out there but they have a shortage of at least 20 guards countywide.

Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of clickorlando.com, WKMG or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum (Please note the 'Flag' button). By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms Of service